The Ride To The Rink - Mastering the Goalie Mindset with Olympian Sami Small

Lee MJ Elias [0:08 - 1:03]: Hello, hockey goalies and skaters around the world. Welcome to another edition of the Ride to the Rink. It's Lee and Mike with you today, and we have a good friend here, Sammy. Joe Small is here for those of you who don't know Olympian, lots of gold medals, lots of professional hockey experience, and we're going to talk about the goaltending position on today's episode. But it's not just for the goalies, kids. We're talking to all of you skaters, goalies, centers, left wing, right, wings, defenseman, whatever you play. This episode's for you. But we do want to talk about goaltending partners on a team and the perspective of that. So, Sammy, we were talking in our big episode this week, and our kids play goalie a lot about the position of goalie and how usually there's two, sometimes three goalies on a team. And I wanted to get your perspective for the kids on what happens when there's multiple goalies. A choice has to be made of who's playing in a game, who's not. How should young goalies and skaters approach that perspective in youth hockey? 

Sami Small [1:04 - 4:03]: I think the biggest thing to realize is that it wasn't your choice and it wasn't the other goalie's choice. It was the coach's choice. And it could have been made for a ton of different factors, but that that is not something that should worry you as a goalie. So that the choice is either you are playing in the game or you are not playing in the game. And so there is no such thing as the backup goalie per se, that there is just the other goalies on the team and that those goalies can help support each other. Now, I think a lot can go into it before the game happens in a practice, if you're the goalie, if you're part of the goalie tandem, or maybe there's a trio, but probably a tandem is that you two can work together to help each other. So when you see, and you can often see the goalie at the, at the far end of the rink, when you see that goalie and you think you might have some suggestions on what they can do to improve, you can mention those things, but also if you see them, make a really good save. The next time you come together into a coach's scrum, make sure you. You skate up to that goal and tell them, like, I really love that save you made or you did really well because of this. So make sure you're saying the good and maybe some constructive criticism for both of you. So that when you get into a game and you're maybe between periods, you feel like you can go to that other goalie as well. And I think that that's really important to have those conversations. Maybe you skate and get some water and you have a conversation with the goalie, the other goalie partner, and you know that that person has your back. In good times and bad, you're there for each other and it's really goalies against the world. That's what I always say. The most important people are the goalies on your team. For the skaters on the team make sure that your goalies are always happy. So how do we do that is you make sure that in warmup you always shoot to score. People always ask me, you know, do you just shoot to warm the goalie? No, never do that. But go about a foot or two further than you would normally shoot in a warm up drill. So you're still shooting just as hard, but you're shooting from further out. So that way the goalie has more time to react, more time to get your, your muscles loose. I think that's really important as a skater to make sure that your goalie gets warmed up in the proper way. Don't deke on a goalie warm up. That's not what the goal is like. Make sure you're shooting from far out and then slowly but surely you can start to do that during a drill. If the goalies are happy, the team is going to be happy. So if you see that your goalie is maybe frustrated or having a tough time, you can ask question to them. You know, how can I help? What can we do? But also in that scenario, maybe don't skate past the goalie after you've scored and do a big celebration because that's never also what the goalie likes. You guys are all in this together and it should be up to everybody to make sure that not only the goalie that is playing the game, but the goalie that is not playing the game is also happy as well. That you could ask them, what do you see? How can I score on this other goalie? Can you give me some tips? You can always ask the goalie that's not playing how to do that as well so that they feel a part of the process as well. 

Mike Bonelli [4:04 - 4:40]: Yeah, I was going to say, you know, one of the great things I think if you could give us a little piece that I'd love to hear is from you is how can the goalies, our young goalies, our tandems, how can they approach their coaches in making their job more fun or understanding, like what their needs are and how they can be incorporated more into a practice where a lot of us as coaches just say, well, you're the goalies just getting the drill, you know, and then you could get your rest in between my drills, but can maybe talk a little bit about, you know, how youth players can advocate for themselves a little bit in determining, you know, how they're treated in the pipes. 

Sami Small [4:40 - 6:40]: For sure. I love this, Mike, because often as goalies, we just kind of come into the coach's scrum and sometimes we tune out. Right, right. Because we know that what the coach is talking about is not for us. So there might not be a goalie coach on your team, and that's okay, but you do have each other. So you can go to the coach and say things like, can we sit together in the dressing room so that we can have these conversations before the game and after the game? That's a little thing. And then also, can we do things while you're explaining a drill? So if a drill ends with a shot and there's a lot of things going on in the neutral zone that the goalie doesn't need to know about that, that's a time that maybe the goalies can work on passing skills, they can work on doing some movement in their crease together. So think about it as a coach, too, because I know there's a lot of coaches listening about what drills require the goalie to listen. So if it's a breakout drill, or maybe it's a in zone system drill, yes, the goalie should be listening. But for all of those other times, think about what your goalies can do constructively to help themselves in that moment and also start to create those links between themselves so that they're having the conversations with each other and they're helping each other on their journey to be better. Because I think a good goalie tandem is the one that has two goalies that are constantly pushing each other to be better every single game, every single practice. And I think that that's so key. But, Mike, you're so right that the goalies often have to be the advocates. And it shouldn't be in the middle of a drill that the coach is explaining. When you don't feel like, when you think it's boring, it should be prior to practice. It should be at a time where the coach and the other goalie partner is with you and you guys are having this conversation together and. And it's open communication. I think that's the biggest thing, that it just needs to always be open communication. And, you know, when times are tough, who are you going to lean on? But that other goaltender as well, that's the person that you can go to with some frustrations. You can formulate your ideas so you can go to the coaches together, and it might feel a little bit safer in that environment to go to the coach. 

Lee MJ Elias [6:41 - 7:15]: Sammy, last one. For me, I've seen it a few times where maybe a goaltender is struggling or just not having. Having a great game. I'm speaking more in the lower youth levels, and I've seen the skaters on the bench or even on the ice sometimes say, man, if you just make a save, we might be able to win this game. And it is the most deflating thing, as a coach, kids to hear, because even if the goalie is having a bad game, we're a team, right? And there's a lot you can do. So what is your message to skaters about the goalies having a bad game? 

Mike Bonelli [7:15 - 7:16]: What. 

Lee MJ Elias [7:16 - 7:21]: What can they do? What should the mindset be? What would be the right thing to do in that situation? 

Sami Small [7:22 - 7:48]: Well, I think that goes beyond just goalies having a bad game, but anybody else on your team having a bad game. And how as you as a person, as a player, whether it's the other goalie, whether you're the centerman or whether you're a defender, whatever it is, how. How can you as a person change your mindset to not make it about them, but think about what can I do to make this situation better? 

Lee MJ Elias [7:48 - 7:49]: Right? 

Sami Small [7:49 - 9:10]: And so there's a couple different things you can do. A, you could try to go score a goal, you know, to make the. Make the game skew that way more, so that it might be an 8, 7 game. That's very helpful for the goalie that's struggling. If you score a lot of goals, um, other things, little tap on the pads, like, know if the goalie, if that's the kind of thing that they need, just tap on the pads. For me, I, as a goaltender, I always thought about stopping that next puck. So, yes, there's games where I struggled, yes, there's games that go bad, goals went in, but it's about stopping the next puck. And so as a player, if you go up to your goalie and be like something to the effect of, you got this next one, or we believe in you, you can do this. Um, not harping on what just happened, but what could happen in the future, I think that that can go a long way. To changing the goalie's mindset, because as a goalie, it can be very easy to spiral. And so also as a player, recognizing that. That this is a really tough position when things are not going your way. So what can I do to change so that I can help that person rather than laying blame? And I think that goes beyond just, you know, on the ice, but just in life in general. But what can I do better to make the situation better? And that might be simply some words that might be your actions, that might be a lot of different things, but that you all. You're right, Lee. We're all in this together. We're all a team. So what can I do to help the situation? 

Lee MJ Elias [9:11 - 9:35]: I love it, Sammy. And again, to the younger kids, I know it can be frustrating sometimes, but this is actually a skill. It's a life skill, as you said, Sam, it's not just a hockey skill. And it's not even just being kind. It's being a good teammate. Right. And being there for somebody else. We all need that. And I think sometimes I find the kids that are most critical need that the most. But, kids, that's a journey you're all on. And you're all gonna have to spiral. 

Sami Small [9:35 - 9:44]: At various different times. Right. And it's. If you have not spiraled yet, at some point, you will. Things will not be going your way. And the more that you have given out to others. 

Lee MJ Elias [9:44 - 9:44]: Yeah. 

Sami Small [9:44 - 9:47]: The more they will give back to you in that time, too. 

Lee MJ Elias [9:47 - 10:47]: That's a great note to end on. I love that, right. Mix of. Treat others the way you want to be treated. But I love what you just said. Give what you put out, you get back. So listen, kids, that's gonna do it for this edition of the Ride to the Rink, Sammy Joe Small with some great advice for you. Take care of your goaltenders. You need them. Okay. And goaltenders, take care of your team. Take care of each other. You need each other. But that's going to do it for Mike, for Sammy. I'm Lee. Kids, remember, wherever you're at on your hockey journey, we believe in you. You should, too. All right, skate on, have fun. We'll see you on the next ride at the ring. Take care. We hope you enjoyed this edition of our Kids Play Hockey. Make sure to like and subscribe right now if you found value. Wherever you're listening, whether it's a podcast network, a social media network, or our website, Our kids play hockey.com. also, make sure to check out our children's book, When Hockey Stops atwhen hockey stops dot com. It's a book that helps children deal with adversity in the game and in life. We're very proud of it. But thanks so much for listening to this edition of our Kids Play Hockey. And we'll see you on the next episode.